Top 10 Films of 2014 - Part Two

05) Calvary - Out of many things that can make movie-watching an enriching activity is when you begin a film and think it’s gong to play out in a certain way, only to then have the story unfold into something else.  Such is the case with John Michael McDonagh’s drama, “Calvary.”  Brendan Gleeson plays Father James, a Catholic priest in Ireland.  One day at a confession service, a parishioner reveals to Father James that he plans to kill him for wrongs done to him in his childhood by another priest.  By the time we’re introduced to the eclectic group of supporting characters, we already know who the confession-goer is because of the person’s recognizable voice.  Because of that, the film doesn’t turn out to be a guessing game of who’s threatening Father James, but rather a story about a priest knowing who this individual is and hoping the person decides not to go through with the murder, which will then confirm the priest’s belief that there is still goodness in this person.  The film is anchored by an emotional performance by Gleeson that really makes the audience hope for him to get through his parish’s uncertain and troubling times, and although the awards circuit isn’t giving his performance and the film itself the attention it deserves, it certainly deserves yours.

04) Whiplash - The struggle for perfection can take a physical, mental, or emotional toll on an artist, and that’s certainly the case with this drama from Damien Chazelle.  Miles Teller plays Andrew Neiman, a gifted, 19-year-old jazz drummer who attends the (fictional) Shaffer Conservatory in New York and soon comes under the unbearably strict tutelage of conductor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). Teller expertly manifests the troubling effects that his character’s strive to be the greatest has on him, but the performance that truly commands this movie is Simmons’.  As the verbally abusive and formidable jazz conductor, the authority that Simmons brings to the role makes him endlessly interesting and frightening to watch.  Other than the performances, Chazelle stages some excellent music scenes, and the last five minutes includes one of the most staggering musical sequences to appear in any film in quite some time.  Chazelle offers a great deal of tension that brews in this film that renders you unmovable at times, a testament to the power that this stunning movie has on the viewer.

03) Foxcatcher - Bennett Miller is a filmmaker who excels in biographical dramas.  With “Moneyball” and “Capote,” he proved to have a reliable hand at bringing the lives of American figures to the big screen.  His latest film tells the disturbing true story of affluent wrestling coach John du Pont (Steve Carell), who invites Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) to train on his estate with other young wrestlers.  The two eventually form a friendship that leads to tragic consequences.  The dramatic depths to which Carell is able to go for this film are astonishing, all adding up to a performance the likes of which are far beyond what we’ve seen him do, and he’s backed up by tremendous work from Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, who portrays Mark’s brother, Dave.  The story takes its time in developing the relationship between John and Mark, slowly preparing the audience for the unsettling results of their connection.  Even though you already know what happens in the end, Miller doesn’t make it any less startling.  His handle on true stories is genuinely admirable and continues to stay as strong as ever.

02) Birdman - Director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s films tend to be grim, yet very affecting dramas.  Because of that, I never would have thought he would pursue a comedy, but with his latest film, he succeeds with his jump into an entirely different genre.  Michael Keaton stars as Riggan Thomson, an actor once known for starring in a series of blockbuster superhero movies.  Having lost his popularity, he sets our to be taken seriously by adapting a Raymond Carver short story for Broadway, a project that leads to many difficulties.  Keaton gives the best comedic performance of the year, one that also has some sadness to it, and is joined by a hilarious supporting cast, highlighted by Edward Norton as a Broadway star who goes to extreme levels to show how dedicated he is to his craft.  The movie is also proficient in its camerawork, having been shot and edited to make it appear has though most of the film was done all in one long take.  Iñárritu’s emergence into comedy is one that’s both truly funny and very artful, and any other ideas he might have for this genre will be certainly welcome in the future.

01) Boyhood - The most magical cinematic experience of the year is director Richard Linklater’s story about the transition from childhood to adulthood.  The story follows Mason Evans (Ellar Coltrane) as he ages from 6 to 18 and traverses through the fun and difficulties of adolescence.  The movie began shooting in 2002, with the cast coming together annually for 12 years to film for a brief period each year, and the result has the audience watching Mason grow up right on screen.  The cast also includes Patricia Arquette as Mason’s mother, Ethan Hawke as Mason’s father, and Lorelei Linklater as Mason’s older sister, and the time they have spent over the years filming this movie clearly makes their familial bonds that much stronger in the film.  This is an unforgettably beautiful and special movie, one that has the ability to resonate with any viewer.  I would even say that this film should be included in the high-school curriculum for seniors because of how those students will be able to appreciate Mason’s full journey as they get ready to make the transition out of high school, just as he does at the end of the movie.  The ambitiousness of this film and the cast and crew’s 12-year dedication to bringing this achievement to moviegoers is a cause for celebration, and once you see “Boyhood,” you’ll understand why. 

Be on the lookout for my Oscar predictions in February.

Top 10 Films of 2014 - Part One

10) Nightcrawler - Dan Gilroy makes a superb accomplishment in his directorial debut, focusing on a story whose main character, Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), is a sleazy and unlikable video journalist in Los Angeles who films grisly stories to sell to a local news station.  With an impressively creepy performance by Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo’s stellar supporting role as Bloom’s ratings-hungry boss, and a stylishly shot, climactic chase scene, you have yourself a terrifically gripping thriller.  Because of Bloom’s constant invasion of privacy throughout the movie, Gilroy gives audiences a film that is unnervingly voyeuristic, and I mean that as a sincere compliment.

09) Locke - One of the more daring films of the year came with this drama by Steven Knight.  Its boldness comes with the story confining the audience to the main character’s car for almost the whole film.  Tom Hardy plays Ivan Locke, a construction foreman who, one night, must make an unexpected drive from a worksite in Birmingham to a hospital in London.  For what reason?  You’ll have to see the movie.  The film is a fascinating and claustrophobic concept involving Ivan speaking on his car phone throughout the drive as he receives calls from his family and coworkers, having to deal with pressing matters on both fronts.  This is a movie that, because of the unique plot, will have you completely invested in wondering where the story will end up, and Hardy’s performance skillfully displays the growing pressure that his character is facing.  In the end, the movie’s confidence in its execution completely pays off.

08) The Skeleton Twins - Even though they’re not on “Saturday Night Live” anymore, we certainly can’t forget all of the times that Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig made us laugh with their abundance of comedic characters.  In this film from Craig Johnson, however, he has this acting duo go for something very different.  The story focuses on siblings Milo (Hader) and Maggie (Wiig), with the latter bringing her brother to stay with her to get his life back in order after his failed suicide attempt.  Although the film allows its two costars to share some comical moments, their dive into drama is never overshadowed, but thankfully, it’s also able to refrain from becoming overly sentimental.  The amount of time that Hader and Wiig have spent on “SNL” in the past certainly helps in providing them with the chemistry that’s needed to make this a well-acted sibling relationship.  The two go into emotional territory that I wouldn’t have ever expected to see them try, but both actors are able to find the power to do so.

07) The Lego Movie - Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s animated romp was one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of 2014 cinema.  While at first it looked like a blatant merchandizing move to sell more of the famous building blocks, it took only the first few minutes of the movie to win me over.  The film tells the story of Emmet Brickowski (voiced by Chris Pratt), an ordinary construction worker who teams up with Master Builders Wyldstyle (voiced by Elizabeth Banks) and Vitruvius (voiced by Morgan Freeman) to help save Emmet’s home of Bricksburg and other Lego worlds from the reign of Lord Business (voiced by Will Ferrell).  With its hilarious visual and verbal humor, brilliant voice cast, stunning animation, infectiously catchy pop tune “Everything Is Awesome,” and a poignant third-act twist, this film offered so much more than I expected, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

06) Gone Girl - As if any more evidence is needed to see why David Fincher is one of the most talented directors working today, he goes and takes Gillian Flynn’s twisted and addicting novel about a horribly unstable marriage and makes a rare film that is as good as its source material, maybe even a little better.  Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike play Nick and Amy Dunne, a married couple living in Missouri.  On the day of their fifth anniversary, Nick comes home to see that Amy has gone missing, and he’s viewed as the prime suspect.  Although Affleck gives what is probably one of his best performances, Pike dominates the movie as Nick’s mysterious wife.  Working with a screenplay by Flynn and using a first-class combination of editing, cinematography, and music to tell the story, Fincher manages to construct a film that continues to build, even after the big reveal halfway through.  Just like any other movie with an ending that doesn’t offer any easy answers, this one will get filmgoers talking.

Watch out for next week when I reveal part two of my list.

A Romance Between Two College Students and the Adversity They Faced

Stephen Hawking, being one of the most extraordinary minds of the last 50 years, has many contributions in the field of physics.  Despite his affliction with motor neuron disease, he continues to impress the world with his boundless intelligence.  

In director James Marsh’s biographical drama, “The Theory of Everything,” he chronicles the relationship between Stephen and his wife, Jane, as they deal with the challenges of his illness.  

Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) is a physicist studying at Cambridge in the 1960s.  One night at a party, he meets Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), a literature student, and they form a passionate bond.  When Hawking visits the doctor after experiencing a fall on campus, he learns that he has MND.  Despite being told he only has about two years to live, Hawking strives to continue his scientific work, choosing to focus on time and the history of the universe, while also maintaining a marriage with Jane, and he eventually lives beyond the limit that was expected of him.  Over the years, Hawking’s journey will lead him into becoming a world-renown genius.

Eddie Redmayne gives the most physically dedicated performance of the year.  During the time both before and after Stephen is diagnosed, Redmayne becomes Hawking, and his portrayal of this academic icon is deeply respectful.

One of the most heartbreaking scenes for Stephen is when he’s trying to get up the stairs in his house and has to crawl, having completely lost his ability to walk.  As he’s doing this, he sees his infant son looking at him from the top of the stairs behind a protective baby-gate.  The scene is as sad as it is because it pairs Stephen’s son, who is in his pre-ambulatory state, with his father, who is now in the process of losing his ambulatory abilities.

Just like that aforementioned scene, there are other moments that show you what Mr. Hawking went through with his illness, but when you see him experience his academic achievements, you feel absolutely thrilled for him for overcoming his challenges and having the opportunity to share his gifted brain with the world.

Felicity Jones wonderfully shows Jane’s determination to see her husband succeed, and it speaks a lot about the love between them.  With Jones’ performance, we get an idea of how much care she provided for Stephen and the lengths she went through to make sure he would continue his work.  When Jane first hears about Stephen’s ailment, her inner strength immediately comes out as she refuses to leave his side, and Jones exhibits a strong sense of tenderness in the role.

What I appreciated most about Anthony McCarten’s screenplay is that, because it’s based on Jane Wilde Hawking’s memoir, “Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen,” the story focuses equally on both Jane and Stephen.  It has a sufficient amount of Stephen’s scientific work throughout, so we’re able to see the far reach of his brilliance, but it mainly sets out to tell the story of Jane and Stephen’s marriage and how it was impacted by his disability.  Between the scenes of Stephen and Jane living their lives together and of Stephen working through his illness to achieve his scientific goals, the film is a pretty engaging combination of a love story and an underdog story. 

Although there are a few spots in the film that seem noticeably crafted to be Oscar bait, director James Marsh is able to get strong performances out of his two leads to help the film rise above this issue.  With Marsh’s handling of the material, what could have turned out to be a biopic that tries too hard is really a movie that succeeds in telling the story that it wants to tell.  

“The Theory of Everything” is a loving account of Stephen and Jane Hawking and the life and affection they shared.

Final grade: A-

An Olympian and His Coach Form a Destructive Friendship

Bennett Miller is a filmmaker who seems to specialize in deep studies of American figures.  He has focused on underdog Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane in “Moneyball,” acclaimed author Truman Capote in “Capote” and famous New York City bus tour-guide Timothy “Speed” Levitch in his documentary, “The Cruise.”  With these films, Miller provides viewers with richly detailed narratives of certain events in these characters’ lives, giving us an understanding of who these people are, or where.

He has accomplished this once again in his biographical sports drama, “Foxcatcher.”  In the film, Miller tells the story of the bond between an Olympic wrestler and his coach and the tragic consequences that followed.

For all of his life, Olympic wrestling champion Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) has been living in the shadow of his brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo), also an Olympic wrestler.  One day, Mark receives a phone call from the wealthy Foxcatcher Farm in Pennsylvania to meet with millionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell), who decides to use his facilities as a training ground for young wrestlers.  While there, Mark is offered the opportunity to train alongside these wrestlers, with the hopes of getting a spot on the U.S. team for the 1988 Summer Olympics and winning the gold.  As Mark continues to reside on the estate, the bond between him and John will eventually lead to consequences that neither could have predicted. 

Steve Carell’s portrayal of du Pont is a very chilling performance.  Although Carell has mostly worked with comedic roles in his career, he is so absorbed in his character that you don’t even think about Carell as Michael Scott from “The Office” or Brick Tamland from the “Anchorman” films.  It’s a jarring change from what we’re normally used to seeing him do, and it’s undeniably impressive, a big leap forward into a different dominion for his acting talent.  With the role of du Pont, Carell brings us a character who strives to fit in and desperately wants someone with whom he can connect.

Besides du Pont’s strange demeanor, Carell also gives us a vivid sense of his character’s desire to be respected.  This is seen throughout the film, especially when he tries to have his hard-to-please mother (Vanessa Redgrave) support his endeavors.  Even though Redgrave has very limited screen time, we get a sense of her character’s disapproval towards John and his devotion to wrestling.  Because of their strained connection, it’s a mother-son dynamic that reminds you of the kind that Alfred Hitchcock would place in some of his films.

Similar to Carell, Channing Tatum gives a performance that is far from what we’ve seen him do in the past.  As a wrestler who wants to prove that he can be as good as his brother, Tatum effortlessly brings across Mark’s sense of shortcoming, a character who wants to reach his highest potential and earn the appropriate recognition for it.  Tatum’s ability to display the physical and mental damage his training is putting on him shows a whole other side to his acting ability and how committed he is to showing the unraveling of his character’s psyche, particularly in the scene following his defeat in the first round of an Olympic trial.

Mark Ruffalo does a highly memorable job in his role as Dave Schultz, an understanding, soft-spoken and compassionate brother who only wants the best for Mark, and he brings forward a comforting presence in his behavior as his character does what he can to look out for Mark’s well-being.

Similar to Miller’s “Moneyball” and its behind-the-scenes look at baseball, the screenplay by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman doesn’t focus directly on the sport of wrestling, but instead takes more of a look at what goes on in the background, the events that athletic spectators don’t see.  Here, the writers do a stunning job in depicting the friendship between John and Mark, two individuals who are looking to bond through their similar interests.  The connection that the two characters end up establishing is one that’s equally complicated and heartbreaking, and the scenes that Frye and Futterman write for these two characters to share take their time in progressing John and Mark’s relationship and the tension that soon accompanies it.

Director Miller is a filmmaker whose movies thrive on being dialogue-driven.  The scenes that he films between Carell and Tatum are especially memorable because of his ability to have these two actors succeed in delivering uncommonly dramatic performances.  In “Foxcatcher,” Miller powerfully captures the loneliness and longing to be honored that John and Mark exhibit, and he brings us a masterful true-story account for the screen that should now be considered as a part of the gold standard for biopics.

Final grade: A